<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>An Unstable Equilibrium by EnsignOrSutin</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30081576">An Unstable Equilibrium</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnsignOrSutin/pseuds/EnsignOrSutin'>EnsignOrSutin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Male Gaze Solid [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Cat and Mouse, Contains Canon Spoilers, Enemies to Lovers, Exhibitionism, F/F, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:15:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,504</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30081576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnsignOrSutin/pseuds/EnsignOrSutin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Strangelove and Paz develop their own deterrence to the fallout of knowing each other's secrets...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chico &amp; Paz Ortega Andrade, Paz Ortega Andrade/Dr. Strangelove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Male Gaze Solid [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2230839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>An Unstable Equilibrium</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>"Peace is an unstable equilibrium, which can be preserved only by acknowledged supremacy or equal power."<br/>- 'The Lessons of History', Will &amp; Ariel Durant</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">While her work on Metal Gear ZEKE was perhaps the most rewarding of her career – the challenge of developing a brand new A.I. from largely nothing more than the salvaged parts of her former creations was one which she was relishing – even the eminent Dr. Strangelove had to admit she needed to rest from time to time. Normally she would have preferred the living quarters stationed next to her and Huey's dedicated lab which was at the heart of the Research &amp; Development unit, but she really couldn't argue that those available on Mother Base's offshore platform were better suited to her wheelchair bound colleague, if not his rather unique wheelchair itself. She also couldn't deny that being housed in the family barracks allowed her to get that little bit more time away from Huey when she needed the break from him as well.</p><p class="western">She looked up at the sky and the fading stars of the early morning as she made her way between the two sections of her new home, lamenting yet another day (and night) in which she'd overworked herself to the point of missing of the stunning array of constellations which this latitude had to offer. She kept a brisk pace to ensure she'd beat the imminent sunrise having purposefully left her rather distinct red coat back at the lab, a habit she had recently begun to develop for a number of reasons. The very nature of the Caribbean had only intensified the aversion to the suns rays she'd had since she was a child, but this was something which she turned to her advantage now she no longer had the safeguard of an all-in-one Mayan Pyramid to work from; depriving herself of her prominent solar protection was the only way to ensure she wouldn't travel back to her workspace again before nightfall, and thus actually have a decent break away from her work in the lab. Not that it worked entirely of course, she hadn't gone to all the effort of using her markedly strong sun cream just for the sake of walking between struts, but the growing pile of hastily written on notepads she kept in her quarters could attest to the work she was still doing even while 'resting'. More than this though, she'd also begun to find that being conspicuous wasn't quite the same on this military base as it was with NASA, or even the CIA. Commuting under the cover of the stars she loved so much rather than standing out like a beacon during the day was something she was becoming more and more grateful for.</p><p class="western">Taking a deep breath of the fresh sea air, one of the only positive things which helped distract herself from her work and give her mind a rest as well as her body, she allowed her mind to wander as she gazed out towards the burgeoning light on the horizon. Helplessly she let it out with a sigh that betrayed how there was still one thing on Mother Base which left her just as restless as her work. Though Strangelove couldn't quite put her finger on them, there were things about Militaires Sans Frontières' little darling Paz Ortega Andrade which didn't add up. And not just the fact that an army of fully grown men had adopted a schoolgirl peace advocate as their mascot.</p><p class="western">The fact that she was actually older than she let on was obvious – if anyone knew how a teenage prodigy would (and wouldn't) act it was someone who had once been one herself – but she didn't have anything firm enough she could take to Snake or Miller. For all the respect they had for her observational skills when it came to her scientific prowess, the one time she'd suggested that maybe the 'girl' they met through a known KGB spy who tried to launch a nuclear warhead might be a spy herself, they'd made it clear she'd need much more than “women's intuition” to back up her accusations. Somehow the idea that Zadornov had a helping hand in leaving Mother Base's brig escaped those two far more easily than he himself ever did, and like everyone else stationed here they'd both become too attached to her to even entertain the notion without any tangible proof. All Strangelove could say for sure though, was that Paz wasn't who she appeared to be. She just couldn't fully articulate why.</p><p class="western">As she finally reached for the door that brought her closer to the bed she sorely needed, the faint warmth of the sun on her hands reminding her just how late she'd left it this time, she once more smirked at the irony of her latest living quarters being designated the “Family” barracks in the same militaristic style and precision as the hangar which housed her current work in progress: a nuclear capable walking battle tank. The base's initial civilian quarters had been renamed out of respect for Amanda and Chico's guerilla expertise when they first came to Mother Base, and even though they were now outnumbered by actual civilians housed here, the name had stuck and was made official when the base was redesigned and expanded.</p><p class="western">As she made her way through the building, she listened to the echo of her high-heeled footsteps joining the other sounds that were familiar to anyone who'd spent as long as she had living in such utilitarian installations; the waving of the flag against its pole outside, the barking of commands over the tannoy, the rush of the water pipes above the thin ceiling overhead. She was still getting used to the presence of children however, and was surprised to find Chico heading in her direction as she turned the corner.</p><p class="western">“Hey Doc,” he casually said as though walking through the women's wing this early in the morning was the most natural thing in the world, “I was hoping I'd find you here.”</p><p class="western">“Let me guess” Strangelove replied with an air of disillusionment that her face would need more than just her large sunglasses to hide behind, “more questions about ZEKE?”</p><p class="western">“I'm that obvious, huh?”</p><p class="western">“Unfortunately, you're far more obvious than you realise” she answered, her inability to hide her disappointment making her realise she was in a more tired state than she thought. She regretted the words as soon as she realised how they had come across, with Chico's downhearted expression betraying his embarrassment at being noticeably better suited to spying in the jungle. Her capable mind may have easily realised his true objective, but while she hardly approved she had no idea on how to approach him about it. “When I left R&amp;D Huey said he was just finishing up too. Why don't you and your inquisitiveness do us both a favour and make sure he does actually step away from his keyboard this time?”</p><p class="western">“Si, señora!” he eagerly replied, his young legs rushing him towards the other font of all knowledge del Basilisco, and away from this current situation he had obviously not expected at this hour.</p><p class="western">Given that his interest was more in regards to ZEKE's gargantuan capabilities than its scientific ones, this wasn't the first time she'd pointed him in Huey's direction to answer all his pandering questions, and she doubted it would be the last. Normally she would have been keen to nurture a young curious mind, and maybe it was just the military disposition of every other man on Mother Base but she had to admit that Huey did have a way with the boy through their shared love of monsters, regardless of whether they were made up or made to measure. She'd often wondered what kind of potential a child who carried both of their genes might have, but although the time he spent with Chico was endearing, it would still take something far more special for her to see Huey as anything more than a glorified turkey baster in that regard.</p><p class="western">She watched Chico surge his way outside when she heard a door open, and turned to see Paz come out of the shower room wearing nothing more than a single towel wrapped around her. The military issue fabric was hardly designed with covering women's modesty in mind, and even on a body as petite as Paz's it stretched itself to barely reach her thighs whilst tucked in around her bosom. With her own mammalian brain still requiring the grace of a good night's (or day's) sleep, Strangelove's more ingrained reptile instincts took over as she admired the sight of the twenty-something beauty stood in front of her, the light of the dawn seeping through the doorway which framed her angelic figure, and made her wet skin sparkle. She was torn between finally understanding what Captain Kirk saw when eyeing up the babe-of-the-week, and chastising herself that she should know more than anyone not to be suspicious of someone for having pale skin, even if they were supposedly Costa Rican.</p><p class="western">Paz, meanwhile, merely stood there and bid a good morning to the over worked scientist who had missed good evening entirely. As she raised her arms to bring another towel to her hair, water dripping from her curly locks onto her bare shoulders, Strangelove could scarcely keep her curiosity away from the ever shrinking privacy at the top of her legs.</p><p class="western">“You know Chico was trying to spy on you, don't you.” she said rather than asked, grateful for her sunglasses hiding her own roving eyes. Paz may not be as young as she claimed but youth was definitely on her side, and it hadn't taken the trained scientist long to resentfully acknowledge why she had so many men defying sound reason to believe her.</p><p class="western">“Si, but he doesn't know that I know.” Paz shrugged as she responded, her reaction at being discovered even more indifferent than that of Chico who, to his credit, was only given away by his situation. “So its not like he thinks I dropped my towel for him on purpose that one time.”</p><p class="western">“Well that's hardly going to discourage a twelve year old boy, is it.”</p><p class="western">Giggling at the older woman's admonishment Paz replied that “maybe that's kind of the point,” before adopting a more sombre, and heartfelt, tone. “He's a twelve year old boy who's known nothing but war. And even now he's still being used by Snake and the others on the intel team, so don't you think he deserves at least something of a normal life?” For all the times it seemed put on, Paz really did have a thorough grasp of this 'peace' business she kept going on about.</p><p class="western">“Well, I...” It wasn't often that Strangelove found herself to be at a loss for words, and made a mental note to make sure she got more rest from now on, guaranteeing she would be more alert in future dealings with the little temptress if nothing more. “I do admit that it's a shame with everything he's gone through, but is it really normal to...”</p><p class="western">“Isn't everyone curious about such things when they're that young?” Paz broke in.</p><p class="western">Though now keen to give her a taste of her mind, Strangelove caught her tongue as she thought back to her own pre-teen years, and the boarding school dorms she'd shared with with the more developed girls she'd skipped a few school years to be educated with. She may not have uttered any words, but her silence was undoubtedly saying that she was reluctantly being swayed. Whether Paz could tell that her observer had caught on to the way she'd said '<em>that</em> young' was another matter though.</p><p class="western">“He can count all of the women on Mother Base on one hand, and that includes the one who's his sister,” Paz continued regardless. “Besides, I'm the one that's closest to his age; I am only <em>four</em> years older than him, remember?”</p><p class="western">Even though she was long overdue her head hitting the pillow, she could hardly have missed the sarcastic way in which Paz had vocalised her assertion this time, and with the two of them alone in the sparse corridor the fact that she was using her words to tease as much as her body was obvious.</p><p class="western"><em>She knows</em>, Strangelove thought to herself. <em>She knows that I know</em>.</p><p class="western">The door closed as Paz headed in Stranglove's direction for the first time since she had greeted her, and the remaining droplets on her slender legs now reflected nothing more than the cold indoor light, something which only served to highlight the artificial nature of her still peppy demeanour.</p><p class="western">“Or maybe you'd prefer him to spy on Cécile instead? The French are very liberal about these things.” Paz quickly paused to watch for any reaction but soon erupted into a more than pointed “perhaps he could even bathe her himself, no?”</p><p class="western">While her previous hospitality towards Cécile wasn't exactly classified, Strangelove had very much been keeping her continued suspicions about Paz to herself, not wanting to attract the ire of everyone else who still believed her story. The fact that Paz was now so open about lying about her age could only mean that she was aware of her suspicions, removing any doubts that Strangelove may have had about her credentials as some kind of agent.</p><p class="western">“Well, this is me” Paz said as she reached the door to her quarters. “I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to get ready for the breakfast shift in the mess hall. An Army does march on its stomach, after all!” The buoyancy in her voice was enough for the both of them as Strangelove willed herself not to say anything lest she give away more than she apparently already had. Instead she merely stood there with her plethora of new questions which had been asked by the answer to only one.</p><p class="western">As Paz walked through the door, her sparring partner's mind still wandering too much to notice the added wiggle of her behind for an audience of one as she walked through, she turned round to say good bye by raising her hand, and with two fingers formed the gesture which her cheery personality had caused to infectiously spread across the base.</p><p class="western">“Peace!”</p><p class="western">She winked as she said it, and with neither hand near her towel gave her body an imperceptible shimmy which saw it slide to the floor. Feigning surprise she waited just long enough for Strangelove to get a full view of everything before placing one hand between her legs and the other to her lips, with an 'Oops' even an incomplete A.I. would recognise as exaggerated. No longer held open the door slowly swung closed as it became the only thing able to break the stare the two women were giving each other. Paz returning Strangelove's look of determination with one which could only be describe as inviting. With neither willing to move, the door finally shut with a soft clunk which left them both able to do nothing more than ponder the other's next move.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>